


We've Come a Long Way But We're Still in Denial

by utterlycliche



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, During Canon, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Mutual Pining, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/utterlycliche/pseuds/utterlycliche
Summary: It's the annual church picnic, and the Cuthberts decide to picnic with Mary, Bash, and Gilbert. Bash's teasing leads to a typical Anne and Gilbert spat, but it ends with the two of them contemplating their new friendship, and reflecting on how far they've come.[Bash teases an oblivious Gilbert about Ruby, which leads to a rehashing of the slate incident. They bicker and it's cute and they don't get together at the end, but it's all about the yearning. I'm all about the little moments. Also Bash is a shipper and I love to see him stan. Set around the summer before season 3.]
Relationships: Diana Barry & Ruby Gillis & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Mary Lacroix, Gilbert Blythe & Sebastian "Bash" Lacroix, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Marilla Cuthbert & Matthew Cuthbert & Anne Shirley
Comments: 14
Kudos: 166





	We've Come a Long Way But We're Still in Denial

The smell of late summer wafted through the air as the sun shined on the tall grass dancing in the breeze. The dry air filled Anne’s senses as she took a deep breath, wrapping herself in the scent of flowers and dust. She could hear Marilla behind her, talking to Matthew about the best spot for their assorted goods, but Anne focused on the birds chirping, the leaves rustling. She closed her eyes and held her face toward the sun, drinking in its warmth and love. 

“For goodness sake, Anne! Hurry along!” 

Anne opened her eyes and saw that Matthew and Marilla had passed her on the trail. She ran to catch up, Matthew holding out a hand to rest on her shoulder. In a matter of moments, all three of them turned a corner and found themselves at the annual church picnic. Already the field was packed - families in their Sunday best with wicker baskets filled with treats. An assortment of blankets spread out along the green, piecing together the Avonlea community. Anne waved at Diana, who sat by her mother within their extravagant luncheon spot. Diana looked at her mother sneakily, and back at Anne. Silently communicating that she would find her soon, once Mrs. Barry was distracted. Anne smiled in return.

“Hello Green Gables family! Welcome!” She turned her head, and saw Bash waving from a few feet away. Mary stood behind him under the shade of a tree, hugging a pillow to her chest. Bash bent down to continue setting up their space.

“This is quite the space you’ve set up here,” Matthew said. Anne set up her blanket alongside theirs, and Marilla started unpacking their food. 

“Bash wouldn’t let me come unless I had enough blankets and pillows to support my back,” Mary explained, as she stood by the side, rolling her eyes - the gesture brimming with affection. She smiled lovingly at him while he continued laying out their things.

“You are carrying my child, Mary. Let me be,” Bash said, as he finished setting up their own food. 

“Where’s —“ Marilla started, but before she could finish, her question was answered. 

“The Barry’s were kind enough to lend us a chair.” Gilbert walked up, chair in hand. “Where do you want me to put it Mary?” 

“Put it here, Blythe. Out of the sun.” Bash pointed to a shaded spot, and Gilbert looked at Mary to confirm. The two of them grinned at each other, but she nodded. 

“Hello, Cuthberts!” Gilbert said, sitting down across from Anne. “Anne.”

“Gilbert.” 

He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes, though it was all in good nature. The two of them had gotten closer since the Lacroix wedding. Anne spent many weekend afternoons in the family’s kitchen, learning recipes and helping Mary when she could. Naturally, Gilbert would walk in while they worked, whether it was to take a break from chores or coming home from an afternoon in Charlottetown. 

He always liked to chat if he saw Anne in the kitchen. He told her stories from his apprenticeship, which she loved. In return, she explained the recipe she was working on that day, cooking being an area of expertise unfamiliar to Gilbert. Sometimes he asked about Diana, and they would start talking about school and their classmates. Of course, they still bickered - a competitiveness that came too easily to the two of them. She didn’t mind it, though. It was nice having someone that pushed her. Diana was her dearest bosom friend - a reliable supporter of all of Anne’s whims. Gilbert was her foil, and, though she loathed to admit it at times, Anne needed a foil. She believed Gilbert needed one, too. 

It was nice. This friendship of theirs. New, but nice. 

If Anne had voiced any of these thoughts, GIlbert would have quickly agreed for he was having similar ones himself. Not too long ago, Anne would have been revolted by the idea of sharing a picnic with him. Now she was practically a part of his family. His everyday life. It was ironic in a way. He had desperately tried to befriend her at the beginning, however it took leaving for a trip around the world to bring them together. 

Anne looked at him, bread in hand. “What?” 

Gilbert had been looking at her closely, a small smile on his face, and she wiped her cheek to be rid of any crumbs on her face. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “Nothing! Just thinking.” 

The six of them started eating, sharing Marilla’s scones and Mary’s chicken. All of them laughing either at the kids playing around them or Gilbert and Sebastian’s steamboat tales. An unlikely family, enjoying a warm summer day. 

“I remember my first church picnic so clearly,” Anne said, sighing. “This one is significantly more enjoyable.” 

It being the Lacroix’s first church picnic in Avonlea, Anne couldn’t help but remember that day years ago - all of the gaping. The comments from the townspeople. Sobbing and running away in shame. She hoped nothing of the sort would happen to Mary and Bash - the two warmest people she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. The town was still getting used to them, and Anne hated that the couple had to deal with their nasty stares. It was why she had suggested they all sit together today - to prevent any ugliness. 

“Yes, not many people were very welcoming to you at the time. Still riles me up thinking about it,” Marilla noted. Matthew made a noise of agreement. 

Gilbert frowned. “I must have been away with my father at the time.” 

“In Alberta. Yes,” Anne recalled. “Gosh, that feels like ages ago.” 

“It really does,” Marilla agreed with a faraway look in her eye. “Things were so different. You were so...new. So unlike anyone else in Avonlea. And now I can’t imagine you anywhere else.” 

She leaned down and squeezed Anne’s shoulder. Anne placed a hand on top of hers, and squeezed back. It was true, Gilbert thought. Things were so different. He thought about his father, and how he had always enjoyed these picnics. How disappointed he was to miss it that summer, years ago. Gilbert glanced at Mary and Bash, the two of them whispering to one another. Things were different, yes. However, Gilbert was comforted by the fact that not all change was unwelcome.

“Anne!” They all turned towards the voice, and saw Diana and Ruby making their way towards their blankets. Anne tried to hide her smile as she saw Ruby nervously glance at Gilbert. 

“And Gilbert, of course. Hello,” said Diana, ever the epitome of decorum. 

“Hi!” Ruby said, waving shyly at them. Gilbert nodded his head back at them, and Ruby’s cheeks flushed. 

“Josie wants to play a game together once we’re all done eating. Would you guys like to join?” Diana asked. 

Anne and Gilbert looked at each other, and he almost laughed. It was as though Anne had taken a bite of something entirely too sour - her lips puckered and face pinched. Gilbert answered for them, “We’ll head over if we feel up to it. No need to wait for us, though.” 

“Josie has a unique way of turning every game into some new form of torture. It’s an amazing skill, really,” Anne pondered sarcastically. 

Diana smiled understandingly. Ruby stepped a hair closer. “We sure would love to have you join us.” Her gaze lingered on Gilbert. “ _Both_ of you.” Ruby attempted a coquettish blink. 

Diana and Anne smirked at one another, as Gilbert looked at her confused. Bash turned a laugh into a cough. Gilbert turned around and gave him a look, and he returned it with a wink. At that, the two girls walked away. 

“Why were you laughing?” Gilbert asked. 

“Because apparently we are sitting with a man of many admirers.” He started laughing again, and Mary smacked his shoulder.

“Leave the boy alone!” 

Gilbert was still confused. “What are you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about that blonde girl making eyes at you and you not doing anything.” Bash leaned forward and shoved his arm. 

“Ruby?” 

Gilbert looked over at the Cuthberts to see if they were following, but all of them avoided his gaze. He noted that Anne’s stare was especially fixed on the food in front of her. 

“What did you think this meant?” Bash put a hand on his chest and imitated Ruby’s fluttering eyes. He shifted his voice to a higher pitch “‘ _Both_ of you.’” Mary started giggling, all the while admonishing her husband for teasing. Anne tried to hide her laugh behind the jar of water in her hand. It was a fair imitation of her dear friend, so she reasoned that she shouldn’t feel too badly for laughing.

Gilbert’s brow furrowed, and he shook his head. “That’s just Ruby. She doesn’t have a crush on me.” He turned to Anne. “Right?” 

She felt her eyes widen. “Uhhhh…” 

At her hesitation, Bash started laughing even harder. “I told you. Why don’t you listen to me?” 

Anne watched as Gilbert started processing this revelation. Did he really not know? It was all too clear to the rest of their peers. Gilbert, on the other hand, was trying to work through any hint that Ruby was keen on him. How had he not noticed? Well, he reasoned, maybe because she never spoke to him. 

He looked back at Anne. “How long have you known?” 

She barked out a laugh. “My second day at school. I had to learn about it the hard way,” she grumbled. 

“How so?” he asked. Anne considered evading his question, however, in hindsight it really was amusing. Especially now that she and Gilbert were no longer rivals. 

She stretched out her legs as she found the right words, smoothing her skirt. “Well, my second day at school was the day you and I met. Do you remember? We walked into the school together?” Gilbert nodded, and she continued, “Ruby was _absolutely_ distraught that I walked to school with you - _heartbroken_! Naturally, Josie and Tillie yelled at me for being such a horrible person. Ruby had liked you for three years at that point, so it was truly a betrayal. They made me _swear_ to never talk to you _ever_ again.” All of this was said with a tone of amusement. Anne stared at a cloud as she reminisced. “It’s all funny now, but at the time it seemed so...dire.” 

“What silly nonsense,” Marilla scolded. “Couldn’t you have talked some sense into your friends?” 

Anne gave her a look. “Well I had made such a horrible impression the first day with Prissy Andrews, I didn’t want to make another mistake. Or do you not remember that incident?” 

“No, no, no,” Matthew said, waving a hand, “We remember just fine.” 

Marilla leaned back, and dropped her point. Anne looked over at Gilbert, expecting to see the same amusement she felt, but instead he looked annoyed. Almost mad.

“So...wait.” He sat up straighter. “ _That’s_ why you hit me over the head with your slate?” He blinked, slowly, and shook his head. “That’s absurd.” 

“You hit him over the head with your slate?” Mary asked. 

Anne gave him a withering glare. “ _No._ I hit you with my slate because you pulled my braid and called me Carrots.” 

“You pulled her hair?” Mary asked, her eyes widening, while Bash chuckled. “Good lord, Blythe.” 

“I only did that because you were ignoring me.” 

“I was ignoring you because I _had_ to. _You_ were the one throwing things at me!” 

“Yeah because I didn't understand why you wouldn’t talk to me!” 

With each accusation, their voices got louder and louder. The family nearby glanced their way, and Mary, Marilla, and Matthew gave apologetic looks. Bash watched the two argue like a game of cricket. 

“Oh, God forbid someone ignore the _magnanimous_ Gilbert Blythe!” Anne said with her arms waving.

“Oh, dear,” Marilla said, faintly.

He rolled his eyes. Sometimes Anne was so frustrating. “ _No,_ that’s not what I meant. You’re putting words in my mouth.” 

“Oh, really?” 

“Yes, really! I wasn’t frustrated that a _person_ was ignoring me. I was frustrated because _you_ were ignoring me!” 

“Why did it matter? You didn’t even know me!” 

“Right! Exactly! I _wanted_ to know you!” Gilbert stuttered through his thoughts, recalling the confusion he felt that day. “You seemed more interesting than anyone else in Avonlea. You were new and cute, and you refused to talk to me with absolutely no explanation.” He huffed angrily. “I’m _sorry_ that I wanted to be your friend.”

Anne opened her mouth to respond, but his last statement had thrown her off. He teased her because he thought she was...cute? And...interesting?

“You thought I was...cute?” 

This time, Gilbert was at a loss for words, his mouth open. “That's not - I mean…” 

“Perhaps, we should take a walk?” Mary suggested, “I could stretch my legs.” 

“Uh, a walk, uh, sounds lovely,” Matthew stated, and he helped Marilla stand.

“I want to see where this goes,” Bash said. Gilbert heard an _oof_ , and turned his head. He saw Bash rubbing the back of his head, as he moved to help his wife up from her chair. 

Gilbert turned back to Anne, who was looking at him intently. Almost too intently. He swallowed nervously. He hadn’t meant to say that, though, he supposed it was true. That day, he _had_ found her intriguing, yet she treated him like a pest. Despite his best efforts to be gentlemanly, she ignored him. It was infuriating and mysterious and…he was curious. Now, he knew that Anne wasn’t as unpredictable as he had once assumed. Her actions were unlike the average person, of course. However, her mind wasn’t quite the puzzle it was before. It was complex and engaging - so unlike any other mind. He still felt a thrill at uncovering it’s contents. 

He cleared his throat, and felt his cheeks redden. He waited for the others to leave before saying, “I, uh, suppose my pride was a bit wounded that day. I...shouldn’t have pestered you like that. I apologize.”

Anne noted that he didn’t answer her question, but was willing to drop it. “I assumed you were teasing me because you thought I was odd.” She pulled some grass from the spot next to her, pulling the blades through her fingers. “At the time, my hair was my most abhorrent trait.” She gave him a small smile. “Somehow you stumbled on the perfect taunt to rile me up. You have a knack for that.” 

He gave her a smile back, and hesitated before replying, “I like your hair. It suits you. Plain hair for Anne with an E? Doesn’t make sense.” He paused, trying to find the best description. Sitting with his forearms on his knees. “You were meant to stand out. You being a redhead is...poetic. In a way.”

 _Poetic_. Anne felt something flutter in her chest at his description. 

“I intended that to be a compliment,” he explained, jokingly putting his hands up in defense. 

Anne nodded. “Thank you.”

How odd - this dynamic of theirs, Anne thought. One second she wanted to shove him, and the next she wanted to...His words warmed her heart in a way like no one else. Sometimes he looked at her, and her breath would catch. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her that way.

“We’ve come a long way, Carrots,” he said, teasingly. This time she laughed. 

“I suppose we have.” She smiled fondly, a blush forming over her face, and Gilbert's heart thudded loudly. Finally - friends.

The two of them heard a laugh, and they both turned their heads to see Ruby and Diana running from Tillie and Jane. She felt a pang of guilt, as she heard Ruby’s squeal of excitement, though she wasn’t doing anything wrong. _Not really_. Although, perhaps she should have lied when Gilbert asked her about Ruby’s crush. 

“You know,” she started, and he turned his face back towards her, “Ruby really is a wonderful friend. She’s sweet and loving. Funny, as well...though, not always intentionally so.”

Anne watched as Gilbert’s smile dropped, just a hair. “She’s also an excellent cook!” She added. Anne looked at Ruby in the distance. In a quieter tone, she said, “Very lovely, of course. A classic beauty.”

He nodded his head slowly, unsure of how to respond. Anne wasn’t wrong. Ruby was...nice. She just wasn’t…

Anne felt him looking at her, and she returned his gaze, anxiously waiting for his response. She tried to picture Gilbert courting Ruby. Gilbert holding Ruby’s hand. Gilbert being in love with Ruby. Her stomach clenched.

He pursed his lips, and looked at the grass. He plucked a dandelion flower from the ground, and twirled it in his hand. “Ruby is...lovely. Someday, she will find a man who is as intrigued by her, as she is by him. As for right now, well, I’m not sure that man is me.” 

Anne felt a wave of relief. She knew Ruby adored him, but Anne had never really pictured the two together. She was glad she didn’t have to now. It felt too unsettling. 

Gilbert smiled thoughtfully. “When a person finds the one, they know. He’ll make his intentions very clear, and she won’t have to wonder.” 

She smiled at the thought, then added, “Or _she_ will make her intentions clear, and _he_ won’t have to wonder.”

“Right, of course,” he agreed. The two were quiet for a moment, trying to picture that moment in their own lives, the face of their future love still hazy. Anne doubted that it would ever happen to her, convinced that her destiny was to live a life as a Bride of Adventure. Gilbert also struggled to picture himself as a suitor - proposing and being a husband. 

(Though he did get a quick vision of him strolling hand-in-hand with a faceless, redheaded figure, but he quickly dismissed the image.)

“What a romantical thought,” Anne said with sincerity.

His smile turned into a smirk. He raised an eyebrow, playfully, and puffed out his chest. “I’m a romantical guy.”

At that she snorted, and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Gilbert Blythe. Ever the romantic.”

Gilbert held up a finger, indicating that she should wait. She watched as he turned around in his spot, clearly plucking things from the ground. She waited a moment more while he fussed with something. Then, with a flourish, he presented her a tiny bouquet of dandelions and grass, all tied together with a piece of twine from their picnic. 

She laughed, and looked at his face. A smug and teasing expression looking back at her. Anne knew it was a joke, of course, but she felt her pulse quicken when she took the bouquet from his hands. Gilbert felt a jolt when her fingers brushed against his - the electricity running from his hand to his chest. He got the strange urge to grab a hold of her hand before it slipped away. To press her hand to his lips, like a hero out of a novel. He refrained. It would be the source of endless gossip for the folks of Avonlea. They wouldn’t understand that the gesture was simply a joke. A way to get a laugh out of Anne. 

(Which in itself was romantic, but he pushed away that thought, too.)

“Well, well, well. Glad to see you children have made up.” Bash and Mary were not three feet away from them. 

Anne and Gilbert jumped a little, and quickly put their hands in their laps. The bouquet still nestled between Anne’s fingers. Bash eyed it closely, and Anne felt the need to hide it. She shoved it into her pocket and turned to Mary. 

“Mary, your potatoes were absolutely divine!” Anne gushed, as she wiped off her hands. 

Mary beamed as she settled back into her chair. “Why thank you Miss Shirley-Cuthbert. I can teach you the recipe next time.” 

Anne nodded eagerly, and Mary chuckled.

“You know, I never fancied myself a domestic type, but cooking is something I find quite enjoyable,” Anne said. “I may never be a wife, but I suppose cooking is the one wifely duty I might be capable of doing well.”

Gilbert felt himself tense. 

“You don’t think you’ll be married Anne?” Bash asked, and Anne shrugged.

“It’s hard to picture myself as a wife. Staying in one place. Taking care of a house. There are too many things I want to experience.” 

“Who says you can’t do both?” Gilbert asked. “Look at Miss Stacey. She went on countless adventures while married. I doubt she was all that different back then.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t even thought of that. You’re right. Miss Stacey was married to a man who loved her - warts and all. Wearing pants, going fishing, traveling the world.” 

“Pants! God forbid,” Mary said sarcastically. 

“Perhaps there’s a man somewhere who will find my unusualness endearing.” Anne remarked. “And we’ll have a marriage of equals. A marriage full of adventure.” 

_I find it endearing_ , Gilbert thought, but stopped himself from saying it aloud. He clenched his jaw instead, and watched as Anne tilted her head back towards the sun. 

Bash eyed him knowingly. “What says you Blythe?”

He threw Bash a questioning look, and Bash clarified, “You think you could be a husband?”

Gilbert just shook his head and laughed, nudging Bash with his shoulder. “I think I have other things to worry about. Like...entrance exams and medical school.”

“Yes,” Anne stated firmly. “We’re practically still children!”

“Exactly. There is so much of the world to see, and so much life to live before any of that sort of thing,” Gilbert added. He and Anne nodded at one another. 

Bash opened his mouth again, and Mary put a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw her discreetly shake her head. _Not now. Not yet_. 

Soon after, their conversation shifted to other subjects. Anne asked how Mary felt, and touched her protruding belly. Gilbert got up to say hi to Moody and Charlie. Anne left to talk to Diana. The bickering all but forgotten. 

At the end of the day, while packing up their dish ware, Anne felt the bouquet from Gilbert in her pocket. She pulled it out, and caressed it. For half a second, she considered throwing it back to the ground. But then, she spun it slowly between her fingers, and grinned - picturing Gilbert’s teasing smile. 

She placed the bouquet in the ribbon of her hat, and held it on the walk home. Admiring the foliage as she strolled.

It wasn’t until the next week that Anne remembered placing it there.

They were at school, and she was putting on her jacket. She leaned down to pick up her basket, getting ready to walk home. Anne was continuing a rant from earlier - frustrated that her pitch for an article had been shot down. Gilbert stood next to her, listening, when his eyes drifted to her hat. 

More precisely, his gaze drifted to the little bouquet in the ribbon. He lifted the hat from the hook and looked at it closely. Grazing the dried grass with his fingers, lightly. 

Anne had stopped talking and waited for Gilbert’s response. She looked up from her basket and saw him looking at her hat. A blush formed on her cheeks, and she tried to think of an explanation. 

“Oh! Um. I, uh…”

He looked at her, a quip already in mind, and saw the flush on her cheeks. The embarrassment evident. Gilbert had assumed that she kept it there without thinking, but was surprised to see her flustered. As if she had been caught. As if she had something to hide. 

The two of them considered their next move. Anne’s mind flitted between lying or getting defensive. Although she didn’t _need_ to hide anything. Not really. She often put plants in her hat. But this felt different. She had placed it there because of the giver, not the flower. A fact Anne didn’t know how to explain. 

Unfortunately for her, Gilbert’s mind seemed stuck on that very idea - that maybe she _had_ kept it there because it meant something to her. That she kept it because of that day or that moment between them. Why else would she be embarrassed by it? His heart swelled at the idea of Anne thinking of him so fondly. Pleased by the idea of Anne sitting in her room, looking at her hat, and thinking of him.

However. 

The younger him would have teased her. He wouldn’t have been able to resist. It would have been too easy. Then, he knew, younger Anne would have gotten mad, and would have likely ignored him for who knows how long. 

Older Gilbert, current Gilbert, knew it wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t ready to admit whatever this gesture meant, and, to be honest, he wasn’t ready to hear it. Not now. Not yet. 

It was all too new. This friendship of theirs. He didn’t want it to fall out of his reach. Like before. 

Anne watched as Gilbert smiled kindly, and handed her the hat. He put his hands in his pockets, and sighed.

“Alright. Give me the pitch again. Maybe I can sway some opinions.”

She felt her jaw drop, but quickly recovered.

“I believe that it is our duty, as reporters, to uncover the injustices of our society!”

As Anne continued her pitch, the two of them walked out of the schoolhouse together, Diana waiting for them at the end of the trail. Gilbert listened to her rant and argue, punctuating each point with vivacity.

He smiled. 


End file.
